WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BIG AREAS STILL LACK 3G, SAYS OFCOM Nearly 90 per cent of the UK’s land mass and a quarter of buildings are unable to receive all five 3G phone networks a decade after the introduction of the mobile licences, according to the telecoms regulator. In its first report on the UK’s communications infrastructure, [...]
Stagecoach in lift from rail ticket sales November 1, 2011 Stagecoach Group PLC said ticket sales across its bus and rail operations rose in the first half of its financial year and that it expects to meet its profit expectations for the full-year. Like-for-like revenue at Stagecoach’s UK rail business, which includes London commuter franchise South West Trains, grew 8.7 per cent in the 24 [...]
Labour drops support for third runway at Heathrow October 31, 2011 THE LABOUR Party has dropped its support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, all but sounding the death knell for the controversial expansion. Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said “the local environmental impact means that this is off the agenda” during a conference in London. The coalition government dropped Labour’s plans to expand the [...]
Legal action launched to move St Paul’s protesters October 28, 2011 The Corporation of London will be taken to evict protesters camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral, it said. The corporation’s planning and transport committee voted to proceed with court action to remove tents from the public highways by the cathedral. It came as the cathedral doors reopened after being closed for a week. The Occupy London [...]
Go-Ahead revenues boosted by commuters taking trains October 27, 2011 BRITISH bus and rail operator Go-Ahead said first-quarter trading rose as drivers turned to public transport to avoid rising motoring costs, although it remained cautious about the medium-term wider economic outlook. Go-Ahead said revenues at its non-London bus unit, which includes services in Oxford and Brighton, were four per cent higher in the period to [...]
Happy birthday, Baby Seven Billion – more human beings are good news for the planet October 27, 2011 A CHILD is born. Hurrah – a time for celebration. Babies usually bring out the optimist in people. “What a joy” we coo over a bundle of potential in swaddling – this could be the new Einstein, a modern Joan of Arc, a future Steve Jobs. However, there seems widespread reluctance to pop the champagne [...]
UPCOMING | EVENTS October 27, 2011 First Birthday Celebrations • The West End says happy birthday to One New Change, with two exclusive performances in one week. What: The Wonderful West end will perform hits from Chicago to Mamma Mia to Jersey Boys plus many, many, many more. Where: One New Change, EC4M 9AF (lower ground floor atrium) When: Two exclusive [...]
When black bowler hats gave way to red braces October 26, 2011 THE BIG Bang set the City on a course of profound expansion, not just of wealth, but of people and culture and even location. Twenty-five years after deregulation, London’s financial and legal districts are full of the sort of people that would have made the bowler-hatted old boys of the post-war period shudder. Women, foreigners, [...]
Time to shake up transport policies October 16, 2011 BRITAIN’S transport policy needs fixing; last week’s appointment of Justine Greening as the new transport secretary is an opportunity for change in a difficult area. Her first move ought to be to scrap the high-speed rail (HS2) project. The crippling costs of the proposal, which would see a £32bn ultra-fast railway line built from London [...]
Mayor’s plea to Cameron over airport October 16, 2011 BORIS Johnson has risked a fresh row with David Cameron by warning that Britain will become a “bit part player” in the global economy unless a new hub airport is built in the south-east. The Mayor of London said Britain risks becoming an “aviation backwater” and losing out in the battle for emerging markets contracts [...]